The National Rifle Association has issued its first statement since the gun massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School reignited a national debate over gun control and put the gun lobby on the defensive.

The statement reads:

The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters – and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown.

Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting.

Though the political pattern after previous mass shootings has been for professions of grief and promises of action to be followed by reversion to the norm, the shocking nature of the murder of 20 schoolchildren has produced what Schumer called a political "tipping point."